OVERCHARGING ALLEGED

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28440, 21 November 1957, Page 19

OVERCHARGING ALLEGED

Bricklayer On Five Counts

Prices charged by a Christchurch bricklayer were “ridiculous,” said Daniel Anderson, president of the Canterbury Master Bricklayers’ Association, giving evidence in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday.

Before the Court on five charges of charging unreasonably high prices was C. McDonald. McDonald, who was represented by Mr D. J. Clark, pleaded not guilty. Mr W. K. L. Dougall prosecuted for the Department of Industries and Commerce.

The hearing of the prosecution’s case lasted most of the morning and all afternoon. At 4.30 p.m., when the last prosecution witness was being cross-examined, Mr Rex C. Abernethy, S.M., adjourned the charges to this afternoon. Complaints Received

Complaints had been received by the Department of Industries and Commerce from several persons for whom McDonald had done work, Mr Dougall said. Anderson and Jack Tahu Kay, another bricklayer with 20 years’ experience, had been asked to examine McDonald’s work and submit what they considered reasonable prices. In one case, where McDonald had charged a householder £32 10s, Kay had claimed that a reasonable price would be £7 10s, Mr Dougall said. A brick fence McDonald had built for another person for £72 10s could have been built by Kay for £3O 10s.

Anderson said in evidence that in each case he would have charged about half McDonald’s prices.

McDonald had charged one householder £62 for removing a coal range, building a crocodile brick fireplace and rebuilding a chimney, Anderson said. “My price for that job would have been £5l 10s. McDonald allowed £8 for the coal range. I have not seen the range, but from the description given to me I would consider it to be worth £2O. and it could be resold for £lO or £l5 above that.

“That would bring my assessment down to £31,” Anderson said.

Kay said that the quotes he supplied for the jobs were slightly below Anderson’s because he did not employ labour. McDonald’s prices were exorbitant